Neptune

Since the Neptune scuba diving summer camp is all about advanced certification training, joining the program ready to dive is important. While you don’t need a whole lot of experience, students should aim to have their Open Water scuba certification from a diving agency such as PADI, NAUI, SSI, CMAS or BSAC completed prior to the trip. Please note that this needs to be a complete Open Water Certification as even the PADI Scuba Diver Certification does not meet this minimum requirement.

If you’re not able to complete the full certification we can accept students with a valid PADI Diving Referral. A referral is when a student performs the Academic and Confined Water (swimming pool) training at home, then we finish the course by completing the Open Water dives during the first couple of days of the Adventure. While not impossible, it becomes a little trickier if a student starts their training through an agency other than PADI and then wants to complete the course with us.

Learn more about scuba referrals

The Neptune Voyage is our most popular advanced diving voyage, and there will be up to four boats sailing together in a flotilla, each with 12 to 13 students aboard. It’s a lot of fun sailing as part of a larger fleet where you can interact with many other teens and staff from all over the world.

Given that we have a number of yachts sailing together, this allows us to berth teens aboard based on their age and grade. We try to make this as appropriate as possible and typically you can expect to be aboard with other students within about 24 months of your own age (plus or minus). Please contact us if you have any specific considerations in this regard.

Neptune runs exclusively aboard traditional double-hulled yachts (catamarans). We use only the finest charter yachts available, all of which are in the 45 to 50-foot range. Each vessel has 5 cabins, a large salon which converts to a 6th cabin, and 4 full bathrooms (heads). The world’s largest charter company, Moorings/Sunsail, maintains all of our yachts to the highest standard.

Learn more about our vessels

From the moment you arrive, you’ll move aboard your yacht and live on board full-time. It’s true to say that living on a boat is A LOT tighter than living at home. With up to 13 students and 3 staff living together, it can feel cramped for those not used to it, yet this close community environment is where so much of the experience is created.

All of our vessels have 5 cabins and a large salon that converts to a 6th. While there’s just about enough room for everyone to sleep down below should it rain, on our typical clear and dry evenings many of us like to sleep out on deck, swinging in a hammock under the stars.

AQ is proud to attract and recruit the best in our field. Our scuba diving summer camp staff includes professional maritime captains, professional PADI dive instructors and medical professionals. Above all, we hire responsible and experienced facilitators and educators. All members of our team are dynamic, multi-talented, and passionate individuals with a devotion and commitment to the safety and experience of our students.

Two or three staff members live with you aboard your vessel full-time. There will be your skipper, your first mate who is typically your diving instructor, and a third staff member who could also be a diving instructor, EMT, Marine Biologist or someone with other special skills.

Learn more about the team

At AQ, we strive to provide meals that meet the fundamental needs of all members of our team, yet when considering our experience, it is important to remember that there are natural limitations when provisioning in remote places and cooking for a large group on board a small yacht.

We understand that each individual has personal preferences and that some students have specific dietary restrictions or limitations. While we strive to accommodate these as best we can, our meals maybe a little different from what you are used to at home. We design our menu around meals that are simple to prepare, quick to clean up, suit the majority of teenager’s palates, and deliver the calories needed for long, busy days on the water.

Mealtime is often a highlight of each day! Students prepare all of the meals with help from the staff using a combination of packaged and canned goods we import from the US and fresh produce we pick up locally about every four days. While we mostly eat all meals onboard the vessel, occasionally, students have the option to eat at a restaurant during shore time.

After enrollment, we ask families to inform us of all dietary restrictions and allergies. We can accommodate vegetarians, and vegans, as well as those with various food allergies. However, if you have a severe allergy or specific dietary expectations, please call our office before enrolling.

Sample Menu Download

Given that all students will be living aboard a sailboat for the duration of their adventure, we recommend that you keep things simple and avoid over packing. Students are given the opportunity to do laundry once in the middle of the trip, so there’s no need to pack several weeks’ worth of clothing.

Our hope is that families will have minimal purchases prior to the trip, so we’ve compiled our packing lists in a way that you’ll find most of what you need in your closet at home. Around mid to late March, we make our Pre-Trip Packet available to enrolled students, which contains a detailed packing list for this year’s adventures. If you’d like to see a sample packing list, you can download it here.

Packing List Download